Skills Audit: Editing.

In the process of making 60 Minutes, there was a great deal of editing involved to ensure that the sequence flowed smoothly, and was up to our standards. Editing plays a vital role in making sure that the sequence is perfect and seamless, by making sure the match cuts are flawless and there is no gaps in between the time line.

During the editing of 60 Minutes, it took quite some time to lay down the tracks we wanted on the timeline, of Final Cut Pro. The unedited footage totalled up to 10 minutes altogether. Then we had to crop rushes down so that the scene we want is there. This cut the footage down to 6 minutes. Then we had to decide which scene's we wanted and liked and take the ones we didn't want off the track. This made the footage 3 minutes long. This was still over the limit we were given - 2 minutes. So after talking and planning it out with the group we decided to make sacrifices, and delete scenes; that were beautifully shot, but had little relevance to the storyline. In the end, this cut the footage down to 1 minute and 45 seconds. Even though, this is under the limit given, we still had to consider title sequences, transitions in between footages, and the length of different rushes.

Through the process of editing, I also learnt how to construct a split screen. A split screen was used in 60 Minutes to condense time, leaving more time to add additional footages if needed. Furthermore, I also learnt how to manipulate the speed of a footage, e.g. how to implement slow motion, or fast forward or even have the footage reverse backwards.